Various types of fuel dispensers are used for dispensing fuel to customers. Some form of remote dispenser controller is traditionally used for controlling the actual dispensing of fuel by the fuel dispensers. The dispenser controller is often on the same premises as the fuel dispensers and coupled to a store interface unit so that a site attendant can monitor and control particular fueling dispensers from a building at the site (e.g., a gas station or other store). The dispenser controller sends data signals to the fuel dispensers providing various information and commands thereto. The information traditionally includes price, preset amounts of fuel to dispense, and authorization to dispense fuel. The fuel dispensers likewise send data signals to the dispenser controller, traditionally including pump number, pump status, dispensed fuel volume, and sale value.
Communications to a fuel dispenser's fuel controller and payment terminal are traditionally based on which vendor is associated with the fuel controller and payment terminal since different vendors' fuel controllers and payment terminals require information and commands to be provided thereto in a particular format for proper functionality. During the course of a fuel dispenser's lifetime, the payment terminal may need to be replaced for any of a variety of reasons, such as to accommodate new methods of payment or to meet newly implemented security regulations. Traditionally, the new payment terminal must be associated with the same vendor as the vendor associated with the fuel controller. This is because store interface units traditionally recognize a single vendor for a single fuel dispenser and provide information and commands for the fuel dispenser to the dispenser controller in the format appropriate for that vendor. However, a new payment terminal meeting the needs of the fuel dispenser's owner may not be available from the same vendor as the fuel controller, thereby preventing the payment terminal from being replaced unless the entire fuel dispenser is replaced, which is an expensive and time-consuming process, or the payment terminal is replaced with a payment terminal that does not fully satisfy the fuel dispenser owner's needs but must be used to match the vendor of the fuel controller.
Accordingly, there remains a need for improved fuel dispenser communication.